The Abu Dhabi Science Festival opened today, piquing the interest of children and families through interactive video games, big-budget space productions and a range of activities aimed to get kids passionate about science, technology, engineering and maths (Stem) subjects.
Abubakr Al Menhali, who came with his two boys, Abul Aziz, 6, and Abdullah, 5, said that the festival offers kids a chance to get interested in science at a very impressionable time in their lives.
“When you teach them something at this age, it sticks,” said the Emirati who works for Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank. “And maybe one day, God willing, they will grow into careers of science and technology.”
Mr Al Menhali said that a special event like this breaks the monotony of everyday life and he enjoys seeing his sons experience new activities that can have a lasting effect.
“When you combine fun and education, it’s really something special,” he said “I wish they would keep this event open all year round, I think it would be great for everyone.”
The boys were participating in the archaeological dig exhibit. It simulates a genuine site and lets kids dig in several 4x4 metre sand boxes where organisers have hidden objects.
“They then take the objects and go to the classification section so that we can see the cultural significance,” said Adam Salinger, creative director of Children’s Discovery Museum.
Mr Salinger said that it’s all about encouraging children and their parents to take up science as a fascinating subject to be pursued academically and ultimately as a career.
“This is about discovery,” Mr Salinger said. “This is about turning something that is fun and saying that science is fully accessible. We want them to understand that thinking scientifically has a wide range of application and in the future as jobs for these kids.”
The festival, which continues until November 22 on the Abu Dhabi Corniche, is running simultaneously with festivals at the Al Ain Zoo and the Sharjah Corniche to reach a larger audience.
“This year, we are really focusing more on families,” said Dr Linda Silver, associate director of the Technology Development Council (TDC). “More of our workshops are made for full family engagement so parents will be able to interact with children.
Organisers said that the workshops will have shorter running times so that families can participate in more activities in one visit.
“We certainly hope that we can interest kids in science and technology” said Dr Silver “And interest them enough so that they pursue a career in science in school and they’ll look at degrees and ultimately careers in the field.”
As part of the TDC, Dr Silver hopes that these festivals will be able to influence the workforce in the UAE and help develop knowledge-based industries.
“To begin with, 60 per cent of the content is new, so people who come in this year can participate in activities that they haven’t seen before even if they’ve come to one of the other festivals,” she said.
The festival will include 19 local workshops designed by people from the UAE and intended for a UAE audience.
nalwasmi@thenational.ae
